Following a lackluster Season 79 that saw the DLSU Green Batters unable to defend their championship, the team is recharged and refocused to take back the crown from their rivals from Katipunan. While it won’t be an easy task, the team is hoping a mixture of new faces, returning players, and improved veterans will be enough to catapult the team back to the top of the UAAP Baseball scene.
Finishing with a 6-4 win-loss record last season, the Green Batters were unable to even make it back to the Finals to defend their championship against the eventual champion, AdMU Blue Eagles. For Season 79 Most Valuable Player, Ignacio Escaño, the team could not have been at a lower point mentally. “From a championship to not even being in the finals the next year with a basically intact team? I don’t think it gets much worse,” he explains.
While last season’s results still sting to this day, the team is hoping to use that feeling of failure as motivation to ensure they do not feel the same way at the end of Season 80. Entering the year, the team looks to have a renewed purpose as its quest for its second championship in three years begins. “We had the tools but we just couldn’t put it together. As with every failure though you gotta learn, use it as fuel. That’s what I feel like we’re doing this year,” says Escaño. “The pain and the hunger is fueling us to train better this year. Everyone is just so much more motivated.”
Speaking of training, the team worked extra hard this offseason as they trained everyday, on the field or in Razon, wherein they worked on their conditioning or on baseball specific exercises. Also, on days without school, the team was able to train for entire days in Alabang, which helped the team bond and work on more things as they were not hindered by a time constraint. Along with this, players on the roster were able to play for the national team at the 2017 Asian Championship a few months ago, which further elevated the level of play of the team as those who participated were able to take home new lessons back to the rest.
From last year’s roster, the team did lose starting Shortstop Franco Hashimoto to graduation and Outfielder Paolo Casas, who injured his knee during the offseason. The team, however, has a talented crop of rookies that are expected to make significant contributions for the team this year. Namely, Angelo Tantuico, Julio Arrastia, Anton Rosas, and Enzo Amado from DLSZ and James Esparas from Southridge.
Along with them, the return of Josh Salinas, who helped the Green Batters win it all in his lone season with the team, is expected to provide the Green Batters with stability on defense and a reliable bat that can come up in the clutch. For Second Baseman Rafael Pascual, the readdition of Salinas will be key. “He was our missing ingredient last season. Having him back immediately boosts our morale.”
Though the Green Batters lost to every team last season, except the UP Fighting Maroons, Escaño expects his team to be the favorite entering the season. “On paper, I feel like we definitely have the best team so I feel like it’s all about us just coming out and showing it.”
With this being said, expectations for this season are sky high for last year’s MVP and the rest of the team, “All the preparations and sacrifices my teammates and I make are geared towards that title. So yeah it’s championship or bust,” he emphasizes.
In the end, though, it will be the team’s selflessness that will ultimately lead them to their goal. For Escaño, playing for the name on the front of the jersey and the guys beside you is what leads to team success. He explains, “Playing for these guys who’ve sacrificed so much together with me is what motivates me rather than just doing it for myself.”
The Green Batters will open their season on Sunday, February 4, at 7 am as they face the AdU Soaring Falcons at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Diamond.
